Documentary film maker Michael Moore is currently doing a run of shows on Broadway in New York. The Terms Of My Surrender is playing at the historic Belasco Theatre, and each show has a different guest, interviewed toward the end of the performance. Last Sunday, September 10th, Roger Waters took the opportunity whilst in town for his shows at Brooklyn's Barclays Center to participate in the show (a matinee).
Waters spoke for a good twenty minutes or so (an excerpt is shown below) talking about a number of subjects, particularly Trump and the legislative changes he is attempting to effect, much to the shock of the audience. He also informed a shocked Moore about how his father was killed during the war, at Anzio.
Outside the theatre were a few protesters, and a couple were present in the auditorium; amidst the cheering for Waters were a couple of dissenting boos, which Waters met with his reasoning that he wanted people of all races, religions, political persuasions and such like to have basic human rights, and if you are booing that, you are booing this concept. This seemed to mollify the protesters, who didn't seem that committed to their cause anyway.
Toward the end of the show, things took a slight bizarre turn, with Moore "Dancing With The Starz" - dancing with a female dancer, then calling Waters back on the stage to join in, as a couple of Chippendale style male dancers quickly got down to the briefest of briefs! Waters clearly seemed amused but definitely ill at ease at the situation, managing a small bit of "dad dancing" as they conga'd off the stage. The picture to the right (courtesy of Marie Lopez-Reyes) shows Waters and Moore grooving to the music...
As a further taster of things to come, today the full performance of One of These Days from the David Gilmour Live at Pompeii cinema screenings (on September 13th worldwide) and CD, vinyl, DVD and Blu-ray releases on September 29th which are fully detailed here, has been made available.
Should you need any further encouragement to seek out a cinema screening, and/or buy your choice of Live at Pompeii package to watch/listen to at your leisure at home, just watch this:
Last night, Thursday, September 7th, Roger Waters returned to New Jersey to perform at the Prudential Center in Newark: the band returns after a three-week break from the road and for the first time in the Garden State since holding its dress rehearsal for the tour in the Meadowlands arena, not far from the Prudential Center, last May.
Last night's performance featured not only a re-energized and sharp-sounding band but also a focused one: the band stuck to its core performance set list, executing all tracks in fine form. When the tour played the last show on the first leg of this US tour, Waters had added the track Mother. The track did not resurface tonight, quite possibly to meet curfew requirements: last night's performance began later than usual due to traffic problems, according to Waters.
The band's cohesiveness was surprisingly strong when they performed at the Meadowlands four months ago (considering it was a dress rehearsal) but last night’s performance demonstrates how strong the band's chemistry has become in the months they've been on the road.
All songs were performed in their fullest form; it is particularly great to hear additional details and complex arrangements, especially on songs from Waters' latest album, Is This the Life We Really Want? As mentioned in a recent Jon Carin interview for Dave Smith Instruments, there are many parts to the songs that were not included in the minimalist album: "Example, on Roger's new record, there's a song called Deja Vu. We rehearsed this song and developed it for several years in sound check and in hotel rooms. And it sounds pretty close on the record to how we played it for years, except for my Lap Steel parts and solo, which aren't on the record." These bits and pieces are now part of the live arrangements: "So I play it live now and it completes the picture. It's not a fancy or complicated thing to add, but, in my opinion, it just has a certain something." (See the full interview here.)
There is one personnel change though it seems to be temporary: keyboardist Bo Koster, of My Morning Jacket, has replaced Drew Erickson, apparently due to an injury afflicting Erickson.
Waters has recently added dates in Australia and New Zealand: the window to see the tour in the US is closing. The Us + Them tour is an incredibly immersive experience and one worth taking in from more than one angle: fans on the floor, near the stage, will experience a very different performance than the one someone sitting in the highest parts of the stands will: both are mind-blowing… but for very different reasons.
Roger Waters' Us + Them tour moves to Buffalo on September 9th and returns to New York City September 11th through the 16th.
David Gilmour appeared on the US's National Public Radio, on their show World Cafe to discuss the upcoming film (then, at the end of the month, DVD/Blu-ray, CD, and vinyl release) of David Gilmour Live At Pompeii. You can hear the interview, talking about the original film, and the incredible new version, here:
With just one week to go, tickets are selling extremely well for the eagerly awaited concert recording of David Gilmour Live at Pompeii, filmed in 4k by director Gavin Elder and presented in Dolby Atmos sound. The film, being shown in cinemas worldwide on September 13th, is a recording of the pair of spectacular concerts held at the ancient Roman amphitheatre on July 7th and 8th last year.
Having seen the film last night, at a special preview screening in London's Soho district, we wholeheartedly recommend you do your best to see this in a cinema near you, if at all possible. Cinema audiences will get a special treat: a bonus documentary, which is only being shown with the film. This is a relatively short but interesting insight into the brace of concerts. This appears before the main feature.
The film itself is quite remarkable. An edit of the setlist for the two shows, there are highlights after highlights - those of us who were there will recall just how good the performances were each night, and that translates perfectly onto the screen. The camera work is spot on (with the 4k filming giving great detail and colour palettes) and the audio truly stunning. If you are able to see the film in a cinema equipped with Dolby Atmos, do so - the experience is quite something, with the power, the clarity, and the sense of almost being there in the amphitheatre. Particular highlights for me from the film inevitably included In Any Tongue, A Boat Lies Waiting, a superb Comfortably Numb, and Run Like Hell - in Pompeii, it was truly "turned up to 11"!
For details of cinemas taking part in this very special one night only event and ticket information visit davidgilmourcinematickets.com. As a reminder, here's the trailer for the film, which was unveiled in July...
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